Destination

ooking over the edge of the A 25-minute flight from Whether stardom in the field of boat I could clearly see giant and the Solomon’s children’s literature finds Captain Lclams on the sea floor. The capital of , we were in a Cornelius or not, he showed us teal of the water and the clarity was tiny little plane as skippered by a just how skilful he is at his job. Our unreal and I couldn’t wait to jump pilot I instantly wanted to write a runway in was little more Have Snorkel will Travel in and explore. Only I would have series of children’s books about. than a mown strip of grass with to wait given we were minus a fairly Captain Cornelius – immaculate coconut trees on the sides and water Words & Images by Tim Roxborogh fundamental piece of underwater in his uniform – was a generously at both ends. Not a nervous flier, I equipment. Luckily the purpose of proportioned chap who had to was transfixed by the density and “You forgot the snorkels??” I couldn’t believe it, but our guide Nelson was this boat trip was less to do with squeeze and waddle down the beauty of the greens all around us. so wide-eyed and good-natured that staying angry for more than a minute me getting wet and more about our narrow aisle to get to the cockpit. Coming in to land we also noticed or two wasn’t really an option. But seriously Nelson! We were in a narrow destination…the island of Busu. From there our chubby-cheeked we had a bit of a welcome party. As part of a group of writers, hero turned around and with a Local children had turned wooden boat, putt-putting our way to a centuries old, man-made island in reportedly amongst the very first boom of a voice, twinkle of eye up to see us with the novelty in the Solomon Islands’ province of Malaita. foreign journalists to set foot in and flash of smile gave the safety of foreigners apparent. The Malaita for some years, this had briefing. airport itself was just a small ship all the hallmarks of a wild little Myself, and fellow passenger container-sized building and once adventure from the get-go. Malaita Ellen, decided he was adorable Captain Cornelius had applied the is a 4,300 sq. km. slab of pristine which I hope isn’t too patronising breaks before the plane slid into tropical rainforest. With just for a man of undoubted aviation the sea, we were soon in a van 140,000 people who mainly live a prowess. headed for the province’s capital, subsistence lifestyle (fishing, taro ‘Captain Cornelius The Friendly (population 7,000). and sweet potato), almost all of Pilot Saves The Day’, ‘Captain Passing simple but attractive that precious jungle remains. The Cornelius The Friendly Pilot Goes villages along the way, downtown interior is mountainous, is dotted On A Big Adventure’, and various Auki made Honiara seem like with waterfalls and the potential for other children’s titles popped into Singapore or Paris in terms of eco-tourism is immense. my head. development and good looks.

16 www.letstravelmag.com Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands www.letstravelmag.com 17 Where the people in the outlying Malaitan villages smiled and looked facts: happy to see us, there was a Tim Roxborogh travelled palpable sense of tension on the to Malaita as a guest of the boarded-up, barbed-wired streets Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau. of Auki. While Auki is not especially It was sad to see, but from tourist-friendly, it is fine to pass through on the way to the the clothes of the children to the gorgeous Langa Langa Lagoon. expressions of the adults, it was clear Serah’s Lagoon Hideaway offers that life in Auki is not straightforward. rooms on stilts over the water The reasons for Auki’s (and indeed and comes highly recommended Malaita’s) social and economic (they provide snorkels too). difficulties are complex and include many young Malaitans leaving their www.visitsolomons.com.sb. homes for the greater opportunities that may be found in Honiara. But what can’t be denied is the splendour of the geography and it was only going to get prettier once we ventured to the waterfront and boarded our boat for Busu Island. It was at this point I realised Nelson had left the snorkels back in Honiara. Nelson! Not to worry, there was bound to be a snorkel at Busu Island where we were invited guests for just the second ever Artificial Islands And Shell Money Festival. Sailing for 40 minutes through the still waters of Langa Langa lagoon, the abrasiveness of Auki was forgotten given what we were looking at all around us. Dating back Beyond the music there was as far as 600 years ago, the lagoon a recreation of a Busu wedding is speckled with artificially built ceremony, a somewhat queasy- islands, created by tribes tormented making tattoo display and the and chased by fierce rivals who creating of shell money. A local form refused to share the mainland with of currency/jewellery with a long anyone they didn’t have to. history, we witnessed firsthand the As such, communities sprung hammering of shells into necklaces up on what had originally been and bracelets that even in the 21st nothing more than sandbars in the century are still worth a substantial lagoon. Some of the islands are so amount. miniscule as to only contain a dozen Given the festival was spread or so homes and room for little else. over a couple of days, I figured Others, like Busu, are larger with a there’d be plenty of time to duck off handful of different villages, several for a bit of snorkelling, something hundred residents, a coconut forest, this developing nation already has a church…and a cemetery. significant international acclaim for. Over the course of the two-day I was right about the availability of festival the people of Busu time, but not about the availability of proudly presented their guests a snorkel. with traditional songs and dances Incredibly for an island in a lagoon while letting us try our hand at the where the waters are this clear, there bamboo/panpipe drumming that was not one villager in possession of is both a melodic and rhythmic a snorkel. but at the equivalent of NZ $50 as an act of modest charity. Yes, hallmark of the province. Perhaps due Well, I wasn’t about to come to a I initially refused. That would be the residents of Busu (like so many to the calming reality of island life or lagoon in the Solomon Islands and expensive in New Zealand, let alone Solomon Islanders) are desperate maybe the retention of their cultural not snorkel, so it was back to Auki the Solomon Islands. to show off their culture as a means traditions, the mood of Busu couldn’t to search for one. One windowless Making steps for the door, it of generating income through have been further from Auki’s. general store had what I was after, dawned on me to view the snorkel tourism.

18 www.letstravelmag.com Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands www.letstravelmag.com 19 But as I would gently explain to the quite remarkable young man who organised the entire festival, you can still present your traditions while also trumpeting the world-class offerings nature has blessed you with. So with overpriced snorkel in my backpack, I was in the boat for Busu once again. Jumping overboard, I wasn’t let down. Fish of all colours, outrageous visibility and more giant clams than I think I’ve ever seen, the Langa Langa Lagoon was paradise for an obsessive snorkeller like me. Donating my snorkel to the festival organiser afterwards, I left unsure whether this was a good gift for an island of several hundred people or not. Either way, what I’d seen was too striking not to have others see it too, least of all the very people who live there. So Solomons, So Different !

Explore the hidden paradise of the South Pacifi c, an archipelago comprising a vast group of 992 breathtaking tropical islands. Feel the spirit of adventure and enjoy your own special piece of paradise - dive, fi sh, surf, hike, kayak or simply relax and discover a culture with a welcoming smile.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau PO Box 321, Mendana Avenue, Honiara, Solomon Islands call (677) 22442 or email [email protected]

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